History[edit]

Early Settlement[edit]

The Mdewakanton Dakota, a sub-tribe of the Dakota nation, inhabited the area around Lake Minnetonka beginning around 1700 CE. They treasured the "Big Water" as an endowed hunting and fishing ground and protected the land from the rival Chippewa tribe (also referred to as the Ojibwe).[7] While these natives had been living in the region for hundreds of years prior, the land was claimed by Spain and later France, who sold it to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. For many years, the nearest Euro-American settlement was Fort Saint Anthony (later renamed Fort Snelling). It wasn't until the 1851 signing of the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux that the lands west of the Mississippi River were opened for land claims to be filed. Tension between the settlers and the Natives in the area rose in the 1850s and climaxed during the Dakota War of 1862. After the War, most Dakotas (including the Mdewakanton) were forced to flee the area. Although the Dakota no longer live in the area, their legacy lives on in the name of the city. Waziya was their god of the North, a giant who blew the cold winds from his mouth. With the suffix ta added, the name meant "North Shore."[8] The name "Wayzata" is a mere Euro-American translation of this phrase.

In 1852, two pioneer families settled on the present site of Wayzata, one of them being the family of Oscar E. Garrison. Garrison built a cabin at what is now the intersection of Lake Street and Broadway Avenue in downtown Wayzata. In 1854 he drew a survey of the area and filed a claim for most of present-day Wayzata proper. Wayzata was officially established later that year.

In 1855, Wayzata had an influx of settlers who built a sawmill, a hotel and a blacksmith shop. Most of these early settlers made their living in agriculture by clear cutting the trees to grow corn and wheat. Since the eastern forests had been exhausted of their supply, ginseng root was also in great demand as an aphrodisiac in the Orient. Therefore, when ginseng was discovered in the hardwood forests near Wayzata, the town became a distribution center for roots collected around the lake. In 1857, however, Wayzata's growing economy was nearly terminated by a locustplague.

Resort Era[edit]

Wayzata Community Church

Growth was assured to the city when the Saint Paul & Pacific Railroad extended a line out to Wayzata from Saint Paul. This inevitably made Wayzata the gateway to Lake Minnetonka. After the Civil War, vacationers from around the world (but particularly the Deep South) began arriving in droves to enjoy the lake's natural beauty and cooler climate. With numerous trains scheduled for arrival in Wayzata, hotels quickly popped up around the lake. One such hotel, called the Maurer House-West Hotel, was built where Garrison's cabin had been. An estimated twenty-thousand vacationers flocked to the area each year, spending entire summers at seventeen hotels scattered around the 125 miles (201 km) of the lake shore. Large paddle-wheel steamboats were used to bring visitors from the train station at Wayzata to many of the hotels. The largest of these steamboats, the Belle of Minnetonka, was 300 feet long and could purportedly accommodate up to 2,500 passengers. This era, commonly referred to as Lake Minnetonka's "Glory Years," reached its peak in 1882 when James J. Hill, now owning the Saint Paul & Pacific Railroad (which he had renamed Great Northern Railroad), built the 400 room Hotel Lafayette in Minnetonka Beach, about five miles west of town.

In 1881 Wayzata broke away from the Minnetonka Township and became a separate governmental entity, mainly as a reaction to the roaring tourist-vacationer lifestyle. The first act of the Village Council was to ban the saloons, and the second was to have the railroad tracks moved away from the downtown business district. An 1883 town law required the tracks to be relocated 300 feet (91 m) from the shoreline. James J. Hill, Chairman of the railroad, ignored the law. Then, in 1889, the Council filed a lawsuit forcing Hill to comply. Hill argued that he had State law on his side and that, if they continued with their suit, he would move the train station nearly a mile east of town. In 1891, the Minnesota Supreme Court denied the legality of the law, and Hill, as promised, moved the station to flat land beneath today's Bushaway Road railroad bridge. The village of Wayzata was literally taken off the map (as the new station was named "Holdridge"), and for the next fifteen years the town's economy barely grew. In 1905, the village council voted for a reconciliation ordinance, and Hill responded with the construction of a new depot near the business district.

Cottage Era[edit]

By 1890, the "Glory Years" of Lake Minnetonka had reached their apex. A nationwide economic depression and the migration of tourists to newer resort areas out west gradually transformed Wayzata into a residential community. Summer cottages began to appear along the shores around Lake Minnetonka during this time. Some of the largest "cottages" (which were actually full-scale mansions) were constructed in Wayzata in the neighborhood known as Ferndale and along Bushaway Road.

As the cottage era continued, the community of Wayzata became mostly residential, with small commercial centers at each end of Lake Street. By the 1920s, motorboating had become popular, and Wayzata had two nationally renown boat builders located on the shore of Lake Minnetonka. Weekends brought thousands of spectators to the lake to watch boat races.

Wayzata Depot

Late 20th Century[edit]

In the 1930s, today's U.S. Route 12 reached Wayzata as a hard surface road. Realtor Sam Batson subsequently praised the benefits of buying a summer cottage in the area and modifying it for year-around living. Despite the challenges associated with modernizing the infrastructure of a summer village, the population nearly doubled in that decade. Under Mayor Rufus Rand, water and sewer service was provided to every building, street lights were installed on the town's newly paved roads, and a public beach and park was opened.

As World War II approached, Wayzata became a city with locally-based jobs and retailers that provided all of a family's needs. The boat building era was ending and home building was starting to grow. During the War, wooden 8-man boats built in Wayzata were used by American soldiers to cross Europe's many rivers, and dairy farming became a large local activity. At War's end, these farms were being converted into single-family housing units. Highway 12 was widened to four lanes, and the population swelled with commuters who worked in Minneapolis. Downtown residences were replaced by more stores serving not only Wayzata, but also the new families moving onto the former farmlands outside of Wayzata. Longtime locals were still the only candidates for public offices and the need for more schools became a growing concern. The lake continued to draw people for boating, fishing, and other recreational activities. Wayzata became a charter city when people began considering it a suburb of the Minneapolis metropolitan area.

Geography[edit]

Wayzata is a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota situated 11 miles to its west on the northeast tip of Lake Minnetonka. [9] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.16 square miles (8.18 km2), of which 3.08 square miles (7.98 km2) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.21 km2) is water.[1] The "land cover types" that compose the Wayzata area in descending order by square acreage are open water at 36%; residential areas, farmsteads, and commercial lands at 35%; forest at 13%; and lastly are farms at 8%.[10]

Climate[edit]

Wayzata's climate is referred to as "humid continental", which is known for having hot summers and cold winters with moderate autumns and springs. Average summer temperatures range between 56-82 degrees Fahrenheit. Average Winter temperatures range between 2-27 degrees Fahrenheit. The average amount of rainfall is 30.4 inches, and the average amount of snowfall is 54.4 inches.[11]

Ecology[edit]

Lake Minnetonka

Before it was settled by colonists, the Wayzata area was largely "upland deciduous forest, with small inclusions of wet prairie and lakes." [10] Forest types typical in and around Wayzata have been "maple-basswood forest, oak forest, lowland hardwood forest, and floodplain forest. Non-native forest types within the city were predominantly disturbed second growth forest types made up of elm, box elder, ash, cottonwood, with occasional basswood, maple, and oak." [10][12] Some of the species of plant that are considered invasive in the Wayzata area are "Purple Loosetrife, Narrow-leaf Cattail, Common Buckthorn, Leafy Spurge, Tartarian Honeysuckle, Garlic mustard, Reed Canary Grass, Siberian elm, and Amur Maple." [10] Alternately, some rare native species have also been spotted in Wayzata including the "Acadian Flycatcher, Pugnose Shiner, and Red-shouldered hawk." [10]

There were 1,795 households of which 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.4% were non-families. 41.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.80.

The median age in the city was 47.8 years. 19.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.7% were from 25 to 44; 31.9% were from 45 to 64; and 22.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

There were 1,929 households out of which 20.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.0% were non-families. 39.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.77.

In the city the population was spread out with 19.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $65,833, and the median income for a family was $96,859. Males had a median income of $51,000 versus $39,257 for females. The per capita income for the city was $63,859. None of the families and 2.3% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 5.0% of those over 64.

Economy[edit]

Corporate Headquarters[edit]

Infrastructure[edit]

The United States Postal Service maintains a post office in Wayzata, which is assigned the 55391 ZIP code. Although this ZIP code serves an area much larger than the City of Wayzata and includes seven other municipalities around eastern Lake Minnetonka, all locations in the ZIP code area use the name "Wayzata" in their postal addresses.[16]

Parks and Recreation[edit]

Dakota Rail Regional Trail[edit]

The Dakota Rail Trail is a 13.5 mile long paved regional trail. In Hennepin County, the trail winds around Lake Minnetonka through Wayzata, Orono, Minnetonka Beach, Spring Park, Mound, Minnetrista and St. Bonifacius. Later, in Carver County, the trail was extended by 12.5 miles to Mayer. The trail is managed by the Three River Park District.[18] The trail is a converted railroad bed formerly owned by Dakota Rail. In 2001, the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRSA), Carver and McLeod counties purchased the 44 mile corridor. At a cost of $5.9 million, construction of the trail started in 2009. By June 2009, the city of Mound held the Grand Opening for the trail. The trail offers parking and amenities.[19]

Wayzata Beach[edit]

The Wayzata Beach is located in downtown Wayzata on Lake Minnetonka. The beach is open to the public and has permit and non-permit parking. There is a lifeguard on duty mid-June to mid-August when the temperatures are above 65 degrees. The beach features:

In the 1996 film Fargo, William H. Macy's character intends on purchasing a parking lot in Wayzata.

Much of the 1999 film Drop Dead Gorgeous (featuring Kirsten Dunst, Kirstie Alley, Denise Richards, and Ellen Barkin) was filmed in Wayzata including scenes at West Middle School, the Wayzata VFW, and 634 Park Street.

The television show Lost featured a major character named Ben Linus, who had assumed the identity of a Henry Gale from Wayzata, who died sometime after crashing on the mystery island in a hot air balloon.

Notable People[edit]

Douglas J. Dayton, the first president of Target department stores when the chain was created more than five decades ago. Today the company is run under the name Target Corporation. He passed away on 5 Jul 2013.[24]